As part of a continuing effort in finding more cost effective, environmentally friendly, and independent solutions to fuel production and consumption, the conversion of ethanol to hydrocarbons has become an active field of study. Ethanol is of primary interest as an alcohol feedstock because it has the potential to be made in large quantity by renewable means (e.g., fermentation of biomass). However, several hurdles need to be overcome before such a process can become industrially feasible for producing hydrocarbon blendstocks of substantial equivalence to gasoline and other petrochemical fuels.
A particular drawback in the use of ethanol in catalytic conversion is its tendency to produce a significant quantity of ethylene, which is generally an undesirable component in a hydrocarbon fuel. Moreover, whereas a hydrocarbon blendstock weighted in the higher hydrocarbons (e.g., of at least eight carbon atoms) is more desirable, conversion of ethanol generally results in hydrocarbon blendstock more weighted in the lower hydrocarbons (e.g., of less than eight carbon atoms).